Can a Newly Invented Pineapple Make a Better Piña Colada?

Unless you have a severe allergy, like Dave Bautista’s character in the film Glass Onion, you’re probably well-acquainted with the taste of pineapples. But what if a pineapple defied those expectations, and instead brought to mind a certain rich and flavorful cocktail that’s long been associated with fruit grown in the tropics? That’s right: science has brought us to a point where we now have pineapples that evoke the taste of a piña colada. Just without the “getting you buzzed” part.

According to Dole’s announcement, the newly-released Colada Royale pineapple — the product of 15 years of research and development — features a taste with “distinct notes of coconut and piña colada.” Dole officially shared this strain of pineapple to the world earlier this month, at the IFPA Global Produce and Floral Show. At the show in question, the pineapple received an award for the best promoted product at the event.

“As a pineapple breeder, I do much of my work quietly since it can take 10, 12 or even 15 years to create a new hybrid through natural processes — and only a very small percentage of the thousands we try ever make it to market,” explained Roberto Young, PhD., who has been leading Dole’s efforts to breed new varieties of fruit for the last 28 years. Young went on to refer to this new variety of pineapple as “my legacy.”

In tandem with the announcement, Dole also shared a number of recipes featuring this particular pineapple, including one for a sparkling cocktail that also uses yuzu and pepper flavors.

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Besides the distinctive flavors of this variety of pineapple, Dole’s announcement also notes that it has a significant increase in vitamin B6 over standard pineapples. There’s one thing that the scientists and farmers at Dole have not revealed about this new strain of pineapple — namely, what it would taste like after being fermented on its own. It’s a scientific mystery that awaits its answer.

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Tobias Carroll

Tobias Carroll lives and writes in New York City, and has been covering a wide variety of subjects — including (but not limited to) books, soccer and drinks — for many years. His writing has been published by the likes of the Los Angeles Times, Pitchfork, Literary Hub, Vulture, Punch, the New York Times and Men’s Journal. At InsideHook, he has…